


I’ll Leave That Up To You

by SomedayonBroadway



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: It’s whatever you want it to be, Scenes may be intense, sorry about that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2019-09-20 09:38:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17020257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomedayonBroadway/pseuds/SomedayonBroadway
Summary: A collection of out of context, heart wrenching scenes that I leave up to you to interpret. Let me know how you see things! How they started and how they'll end by leaving a review!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ BEFORE PROCEEDING!
> 
> Okay, hello there friends... so I'm betting I'm gonna need to explain this a bit. This is gonna be a collections of scenes out of context. I know it seems like I've been inactive lately. That's not the case. I'm still reading and reviewing and aware of PMs and reviews of my own. I've just been a bit busy. However, I do have time to write every now and again. But normally, I'm not sitting down to write an update. Normally, I'm sitting down to write random scenes that I can't get out of my head.
> 
> So, these are gonna be scenes ive written down as stress relievers. :) Basically, most of them will have no story. Here's the fun of it...
> 
> I would love for you guys to write me a review, telling me what you think is happening. I think it will be very interesting to hear what kind of spin you guys put on it. What kind of tragic things will happen before or after this. You guys can also request for me to make these into stories with the ideas you give me. I would honestly love that so much.
> 
> I really hope you enjoy this first awful draft of a random scene out of context!

Jack threw the door open. He regretted the movement immediately when he saw what waited on the other side.

Race's breaths were coming in hard as he struggled. The loud noise must've startled him too much to bare. And it made Jack's heart hurt. He was up against the far wall. The boy's hands were bound tightly behind his back and his legs were bound with too many ropes, probably cutting off his circulation due to that fact that he was forced to sit on his knees by another rope that wrapped around his neck like a collar, connecting to something above them, threatening to strangle him if he made one wrong move. He was gasping as the thing pressed into his throat, terrified of not being able to breathe. He whimpered as Jack was sure he heard his footsteps and assumed someone was there to hurt him. But Jack was too stunned to speak. He let his fists clench up in anger as he saw the knotted gag between the young teen's lips, silencing his playful sarcasm and witty comments. And the cloth that wrapped around his head, covering his eyes made Jack want to murder whoever put it there. It was soaked with tears.

Jack was as quiet as he could be, unsure of the best way to approach the beaten boy without scaring him anymore. He wanted to wrap him up in anything that would hide his bare chest from view. He wanted to get him out of there. So he dropped down to his knees in front of the boy.

Race whimpered and struggled a little bit when he heard someone right in front of him. He didn't know what else he could do but beg at that point. He was completely made helpless in his position and it made him feel sick. And then the blindfold was being messed with and Race screamed, fearing the worst.

Jack watched Race's frantic blue eyes dart around the room. They broke his heart. They were red and puffy and it looked like the boy had been sobbing for days on end. And then those eyes landed on him. And Race sobbed harder.

Jack didn't know what to do. He was being watched. He couldn't get his brother out. And he so desperately wanted to get his brother out. But all he could do was take the blond boy's face in his hands and smile sadly at him. "Race..." Jack was sure his voice broke even though it was no more than a whisper. "Calm down, kid... I'm right here..." He brushed some of the curls away from Race's forehead before he leaned forward. He pressed a firm, loving kiss to the clammy skin.

Race could barely hold himself up anymore. He found his body starting to sag. But Jack caught him. He held him up, out of deaths grip. Race's head hung dangerously low to his noose.

"Kid..." Jack let Race lean on him as best he could. But the way the boy was bound didn't allow much.

"Let him go!" The demand ripped from Jack's throat before he even thought it up. He glanced back at the man standing in the doorway who just laughed. Immediately, Jack knew he was getting no where, so he sighed, looking down at the boy in his arms. "Please... at least let him lay down..." All he could do was brush back the kid's hair. The poor boy was terrified. Jack didn't blame him. He obviously had no clue what was happening.

"Aww poor poor little Anthony..." the man in the doorway mocked. "Bet he'd love to be seeing a bag full of cash right now, wouldn't you Racetrack?"

Before Jack knew what was happening, the boy in his arms gasped and attempted to throw himself backwards, choking as the rope around his neck dug into his skin. The man was advancing on them. And Race didn't like the idea.

It was painful. Painful for Race who could barely move, but quite possibly even more painful for Jack to watch it. To watch his *brother* in agony as ropes dug into his skin and a ratty gag kept him from even pleading with his captor not to hurt him. To watch the boy he'd known for almost his entire life sobbing and scared and clueless as to what was going on. To see the boy he'd held in his arms most nights for years completely helpless and alone.

"Leave him alone..." Jack growled out as the younger kid whimpered. He shot a glare up to the man that had done this. That had his brother bound up in a room that reminded him too much of a hospital. The walls were white and the lights were even brighter. It made Jack sick. "He's just a kid... ya don' gotta do this-" the boy started.

"You brought this on yourself, Jack!" the man screamed at him, suddenly angry instead of smug. Race jumped and tensed immediately, not liking the sudden change in his mood. "If you didn't want anything bad to happen to your precious family, maybe you should've thought about it before doing what you did!"

The tears in his eyes were inevitable. He was right. It was Jack's fault. It always would be. And there was nothing he could do to stop this. But the way Race looked at him hurt. It *hurt*. He was so scared and he looked so small bound up the way he was. He looked so young. Younger than even his fifteen years. "Racer, I'm so sorry..." The child was shaking. He was sobbing. His face was soaked with tears. The poor kid was a wreck and Jack couldn't stop it. All he could do was grasp onto the boy's shoulders, trying to keep the kid still.

"Please let him loose..." Jack's voice was small and desperate. "He can hardly breathe... this ain't his fault..."

The man in the room laughed a bit and let his hand fall onto the blond curls on Race's head, softly petting them. The gentleness of the man was condescending and showed a sort of dominance. It made Race flinch and cry harder. He mumbled something into the gag he wore. The sound made Jack's heart clench tightly in his chest.

"You got what you wanted, Kelly. He's alive and he's running out of time," the guy smiled, maniacally. "Now I'll let you do the honors of blinding him again before you leave." It was a demand. A sick, terrible thing to make Jack do.

Race *hated* the dark. Race hadn't slept alone in a room by himself since he was five years old. Race was scared and he had the right to be. And this man was making Jack take away Race's only sense of safety in that moment.

It must've been a long time of Jack simply sitting, staring apologetically into his brother's big blue eyes. Because the next thing he knew the cloth he'd tore off of the boy's face earlier was being shoved in front of him. "You do this now, or I will." That threat was enough for Jack.

Carefully and very slowly, he clutched onto the cloth. He felt like he could hardly breathe when Race leaned away from him, shaking his head pleadingly. *Please don't...* he was begging. *Please not again...* But Jack shook his head, knowing full well he was crying too. He didn't want this to happen. None of this should be happening. "I'm so sorry, kid..." He did it quick, letting out sobs himself as Race screamed in protest. The boy's voice was so high pitched. With how well Jack knew the kid, he knew that Race was beyond petrified. Race has put on a safe face before. Normally with bullies or even with old foster parents. But none of that was as bad as this.

Jack tied the thing around the back of his boy's head and kissed the squirming child on the head before whispering quietly into his hair, "'m gonna get you outta here... t's all gonna be okay, I promise... ya just gotta keep breathin', yeah?" When Race's body jerked with sobs beneath his touch, Jack held onto him tighter. He knew Race wanted him to stay. Race didn't want to be alone. Race didn't want to be left like he was. *Helpless*. But with the look that the evil man gave him, all he could do was let the tears fall. "I love you... n' I ain't leavin' ya here... 'm comin' back, I promise..."

The man in the room smiled, mischievously from above them, watching the whole scene intently. His stomach twisted with adrenaline and excitement as he grabbed Jack by the hair and forced him up. The eighteen year old bit out a cry of pain before he was shoved back towards the door. "You have two days... don't keep me waiting..."

Jack froze in the doorway. He was sobbing. The screams he heard from Race didn't help that. The screams that Jack could vaguely recognize. The screams that were his own name and an attempt to get him back. The screams that would haunt Jack for the rest of his life. But he couldn't dwell on it for too long as the man gave him one final shove out the door and slammed the heavy metal thing shut in his face, leaving a frantic big brother outside the room where his baby brother was being put through hell.

It was then that Jack Kelly allowed himself to scream.

Race struggled in his bonds and breathed impossibly hard as he knew he was left alone with the man who'd taken him in the first place. In his helpless state, all he could think to do was beg. He felt pathetic, like an injured puppy, waiting to be kicked. It wasn't long before he could feel the man's breath in his skin. He couldn't help screamed again. Screaming for Jack not to leave him alone again. Screaming for him to come back and stay with him even if he was still bound the way he was. He just wanted Jack. He just wanted his big brother. But as a slap met his cheek, he quieted, simply whimpering instead, begging to be set free before the noose around him was grabbed and he was dragged forward a few inches.

"Now that we're alone..." the man whispered, "let's see if we can't have some fun..."

The screams were inevitable.


	2. Chapter 2

The tears fell onto the pages as a pencil scribbled furiously on it. Crutchie was afraid he was pushing so hard on the lead it might break. But he didn't care enough to stop. He usually didn't. But usually, he wasn't in the state he was. Usually he wasn't here, hiding, a hood over his head and the sleeves of his sweatshirt pulled as far down as they went. Usually he was laughing. Usually he was smiling, laughing and getting too distracted to finish his next thought. Because life wasn't always so bad.

Not today. Today was different. Today was off. Today was wrong. He didn't like today. Today would go down in his book as the day he would always hate.

The scribbling must've continued for hours. It was a mess. Barely readable. It was a good thing Crutchie knew every word. It would be engraved in his mind forever. Every single damn word.

The tears came harder. They came faster. They wouldn't stop staining his pained writings as he mercilessly pressed down on the pencil. He couldn't stop. It flowed out of him even though his hands shook and he could barely see through the blur that was his own tears. And when the sun began to set, he didn't stop and watch like he should've. He ignored the miracle that was the ending of one day to begin another. The miracle he stopped to watch most days. Not today.

Today was wrong.

"Charlie...?"

He gasped. He hadn't meant to. It just happened. He hadn't heard any leaves rustling. He hadn't been aware of anyone's presence before they were there. He hadn't had time to wipe away his pathetic tears before someone saw him. He was caught in the act in his own personal hiding spot and there was nothing he could do about it. But he froze anyways, hoping that the person would just leave him alone. Hoping Race wouldn't ask him what happened. Because Race was his brother and Crutchie couldn't lie to him. No matter how hard he tried.

"Char...?" Race called again, hearing the small sniffles of the boy who sat on the branch of a tree that he's come to know very well. "How'd you get up there, kid?"

"Magic," the younger boy replied dryly. He tried in vain to keep his voice steady and let the sarcasm slid off the tongue, just like his brother did all the time. Only, Crutchie was not his brother. Acting and faking his way through didn't work for him. He was too honest and kind hearted for that. So all he could do when Race moved closer was let slow sobs escape from his lips.

"Hey, hey..." To say Race was concerned was an understatement. He hadn't found his little brother in this tree in months. This tree was for the bad days. And that branch was for the worst of the worst. "Crutchie... it's okay... what's goin' on?" When the boy shook his head, the older boy sighed. "Please come down here an' talk ta me, buddy..."

He couldn't. Crutchie shook his head violently, slamming his journal shut and bringing his knees closer to his chest. He couldn't tell him. But Race was his protective big brother. No way he'd leave this alone.

"Okay then..." he mumbled, pushing up the sleeves on his shirt. "Guess I'm comin' ta you..." And he set to climb the tree that the boy sat in comfortably.

Before Crutchie could protest, his brother was next to him, standing on branches below his own and waiting for him to move over and give him a place to sit on the strong branch that normally brought him comfort. Reluctantly, he kicked his leg over the side of the branch as they'd previously been stretched out in front of him. He let his eyes linger on the green grass below him while Race climbed up next to him, trying to forget that Jack would yell at him if he knew how far above the ground he was.

He didn't want to talk. Talking meant telling the truth. The truth meant nothing good would happen next. Because the truth would get someone else hurt and that couldn't be happening. *This couldn't be happening*. So he didn't speak when Race sat and waited. He grasped his journal tightly to his chest and held it tightly there. His secrets and troubles were his own. And no one should have to understand them but him.

For a long while, nothing was said. Just two boys staring off into the dimming light of the sleeping sun. But Race didn't like the silence. This wasn't Crutchie. Crutchie was outspoken and happy about it. He was a sweet, amazing kid who always told him what was wrong. Not this boy, trying in vain to hide from him underneath a sweatshirt that was too big for him, casting a shadow across his bright, wonderful features. "Crutch... can ya please talk ta me? I's worried 'bout ya..."

It made his heart clench, the way Race seemed so genuine. The way someone so sarcastic and witty was showing actual affection and concern. He wished he'd just stop. But he knew he wouldn't. The older boy was extremely protective. And everyone knew better than to mess with his brothers. Well... most everyone.

"It ain't nothin', Race. I just-" Before he could finish another sentence, the hood that hid his face was pushed back. And Crutchie clenched his teeth at the scoff Race gave him. He gripped the branch he sat on and looked at the ground. He couldn't look at Race right then. Because he'd tried to lie to his big brother. He knew he could never lie to his big brother.

"Nothin' my ass..." Racetrack mumbled, carefully grasping into Crutchie's chin to get a better look at him. Crutchie couldn't protest. "Who did this?" The demand was gentle, yet firm. Crutchie always wondered how Race did that. How Race could do everything at once. He wished he could be like that. Be like Race. Be someone who people enjoyed.

The *this* to which the impulsive boy was referring was the angry black and blue bruise that spread out across his right cheek. The one that made his face look a bit swollen. Crutchie didn't respond. He could see the anger building up behind those blue eyes. He could see the rage already being put into Race's body as he was now itching for a fight. "Crutchie," he warned, slowly, "who?" he demanded, a bit harsher this time. Crutchie knew it wasn't directed at him. But that didn't make him any less nervous.

"It don' matta'..." He couldn't tell him. Race couldn't know...

"It does matta'." Race was holding his face so firmly that Crutchie knew he couldn't move without wrenching him and his brother from the tree. Race always hated heights. Crutchie wouldn't put him through that. "You matta'. You're my kid brotha'. What happened?"

The questions were something Crutchie actually hated. He hated that he was going to answer them eventually, if not now, when they got back to Jack and Race told him everything. Because they loved him and cared about him and worried about him.

He didn't deserve it.

"I couldn't stop it, Race!" The sob took Race off guard. It shouldn't have. He should've seen it coming. Crutchie could never keep anything from him. But for some reason, it sounded so different from every other time the boy came home crying. And the way the kid's body collapsed onto him worried him to no end. So Race wrapped his brother up tightly in his arms and waiting for the rest to come spilling out. "I'm sorry! I just couldn't stop it! I tried!"

"Shhhhh..." the older boy tried. He ran a hand through Crutchie's hair, wanting nothing more than to stop the never ending tears. He waited for some kind of explanation. But that wasn't what he got.

For the first time in his whole life, the sacred journal that was the entire essence of his little brother was pushed into his lap. Years of wondering what filled the hundreds of pages and what kind of secrets his brother kept were suddenly pushed into his lap as if they did this everyday. As if Crutchie had ever let anyone see what was on those many pages that he held so closely to him at all times. So carefully, his arms still around his brother, he opened up the small book to the marked page.

Never had he ever heard Crutchie use the awful words he was reading. But the ways they were so carefully crafted into purposeful, terrifying sentences made so much sense. Everything was strung together so perfectly and nothing had ever hurt Racetrack as much as reading these things. These terrible, horrific things that had been thrust upon his baby brother like yesterday's garbage.

"Charlie..." The kid was at a loss for words. There was nothing he could say to make it better. There was nothing he could say to make it go away or to make everything just stop. His little brother deserved better than that. Their family deserved better than this.

Crutchie shook his head and buried his face in Race's shoulder when the older boy started shaking. With anger... fear... Crutchie didn't know. But he held tighter to him none the less and he let the boy slam the damn journal closed and turn further to him, pressing their body so close together that no one could get to the other without going through both of them. But Charlie hated how fast his big brother's heart was beating in that moment. He hated the way they both shook and the way they both held back sobs.

"I-it's okay..." the older of the two stuttered for a moment. "We'll just tell Jack-"

"No!" That was the absolute last thing that Crutchie wanted to do. Telling Jack... he didn't want to think of the consequences of that. It would be bad. "We can't tell Jack... we can't..."

It was bad. The whole situation was bad. And there looked to be no way out of it. So Race did what he could. He held his brother as tightly as was possible and kissed the top of his head, holding back his own, frightened tears.

"It'll be okay..."

They hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright friends! It's up to you now! What was in the journal? Who hurt Crutchie? Are they being threatened? What's going on? Why are these things happening? Is that tree significant?
> 
> Be creative! Let your mind run a bit wild! Have fun with it!
> 
> I can't wait to hear what you guys think! Thank you so much for reading! I hope to get a review from all of you soon! Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

It hurt. There were not words to describe the pain. It was everywhere, pulsing through his body like a heartbeat. It hurt too much to scream and it hurt too much to move.

He hadn't meant it. None of it. It was a mistake. He had to take it back. Somehow, he had to reverse the clock and make it all stop. This couldn't be it. This couldn't be the end.

"Oh my God..."

The ground was freezing against him. He didn't want to open his eyes to see the red stained snow that surrounded him. He couldn't feel his fingers, much less his feet or his toes. He certainly couldn't move from spot as the voice began. *Two.* Two voices he wished he couldn't hear. Two voices he wished weren't there.

"Jack! Jackie, can ya hear me?"

Run!* he wished to tell them. *Get away while you still can!*

He couldn't. His voice wasn't working. "Jack, breathe! You have to keep breathing!" He couldn't. It was hard. Why was it so hard to breathe? His chest felt so stiff. It was too heavy. His whole body was too heavy and his brain couldn't focus. *Think, ya idiot! Do somethin'!*

A whimper escaped him. This wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to be weak or scared or hurt. He was the strong one, the one his brothers needed, the one who was supposed to know what to do. "Get outta here..." he croaked, trying to force his eyes open. It wasn't working. He was sure they were swollen shut. He just wanted to see them one more time.

"No way in hell, Jackie..."

Vaguely, he could feel arms around his torso, lifting him up off the ground. He let out a pained gasp as he was pulled into someone's lap. He still couldn't open his eyes. It hurt. He wanted to move. He wanted to stand. He wanted to go home. "Calm down, we need ta get you warm..."

"He's bleedin' real bad. We's need ta get him help..."

"We can't move him."

Jack wished they'd just leave him. They could make it if they just left him. He tried to squirm out of the grasp. All it caused was more pain. "Jack talk ta us! Who did this?"

They were panicking. Panic was inevitable. Jack couldn't think straight. Everything was too much. "Run..." he tried again, trying to open his eyes again. *Run... get some sense into those brains and run!*

"Help!" someone cried from above him. "Somebody! Please help us!"

They were gonna get hurt. They were gonna get taken. It couldn't happen. Not again. It was gonna be Jack's fault. They had to run. They had to get out.

"No, Kelly! Ya gotta stay awake fer us!"

Awake. He could do that. He had to. Only, he couldn't.

Pathetic. Lousy. Stupid. Weak. Worthless.* It was all true. It had to be. He couldn't protect them. They wouldn't listen. Not while he was like this. "Go home... run..."

"Who did this, Jack?!"

They were crying from what Jack could tell. He could barely feel hands running through his hair, trying to calm him down. Memories where blurring together and his own screams echoed in his ears. "Somebody help us, *please*!"

A pair of hand pressed down on his leg. Jack bit out a breathy cry and tried to wiggle from the underneath the pressure. "Stop it, Cowboy! We're gettin' ya help, okay?" Damn it, they were scared.

"I love you..."

"Shut up, Jack! You ain't sayin' goodbye right now!"

"Ya have ta get outta here..."

"Help! Please!" The arms around Jack tightened. "You can't leave us, Jackie! We need you!"

He was sorry. He didn't mean for this to happen. None of this was supposed to happen. He needed to take it back. He needed to go back. He needed to stop it.

"Nononono! You can't sleep! Stay with us!"

But it was too late. "I'm so sorry..."

"Hello, boys..."

And everything went black.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please please please tell me what you think! What happened? I'm so excited to hear your guys' ideas!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... so this may or may not be one of the shortest things I've ever posted, but I love this scene because it's really different and I want to see how y'all interpret it.
> 
> So please
> 
> Enjoy!

Race's hands were shaking. He'd been staring down at his cracked phone for almost an hour. Tears were still spilling down his face. He was alone now. He wouldn't be for much longer. If he was going to do this, he had to do it now. His knuckles were turning white as he gripped onto the railing of his bed. He rocked back and forth as he tried to calm himself down enough to have a coherent thought.

"I can't do this..." he breathed. He swore to himself he wouldn't, no matter how badly he wanted to. And he wanted to so badly. This was ridiculous. Nothing would come from it. Nothing good, at least. But God, he wanted to so badly. No matter how many times he said he wouldn't, he didn't need to, he was wrong. "Screw it!"

With a frustrated growl, Race grabbed the phone off of his bed. He clicked the call button, letting himself back up to the wall and slid down to the ground. "Please pick up... please, please..."

"Sorry I missed your call! Leave a message!"

Trying to take in a proper breath as disappointment and anguish hit him hard in the chest, Race took the phone from his ear, almost prepared to drop it on the ground and stomp on it as hard as he could. But he didn't. He couldn't. He took a shuttering breath and brought the thing back up, waiting for the beep. "Hey, Jack..." He tried to play it off. He tried to smile through the pain. He tried to sound normal. It only lasted a second. He sniffled, trying to pull the phone away from his face. He didn't want to sound as desperate as he was. "I know..." his voice shook. More tears fell from his eyes. "I know I said that I hated you... n' I never wan'ed ta talk to ya again..." He hated thinking about that day. There had to be a reason. Jack wouldn't have just left. There had to be a reason.

"I didn't mean it... _God_..." Race whimpered, trying to hold back another sob. He hadn't seen or spoken to his big brother in almost five months. It all hurt so bad. "I know I said I wouldn't call... but I need ya right now... I j'st feel really alone n'..." Who was he kidding? He wasn't about to spill the whole story over the phone. It felt like he was talking to himself. "Just... just call me back..."

With a sigh, he ended the call. As much as he hated to admit it, the only person he wanted right in that moment, was the man who'd walked out on him half a year ago and rode off to God knows where. But Race didn't care right then. He just wanted Jack to wrap him up in his arms and rock him back and forth and kiss the back of his head and tell him it was all going to be alright even when it wasn't. Because Race wasn't alright. Not even a little bit.

The boy curled up against the wall, hearing the door open down the stairs. It wouldn't be long before he was no longer alone.

He just wanted Jack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know. That was way too short. There is more to this scene, but it's unedited and unfinished. This is one of my favorite scenes for some reason though.
> 
> So please! Tell me what you think is going on? Why did Jack leave? Why does Race hate him? Why does Race call him or need him now? Please share your thoughts! I really wanna hear them!
> 
> Love ya, friends! I'll be back soon!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys...... I just don’t know.

Jack smirked and pulled his hood up over his head, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Well, well, well..." he muttered, walking up out of the shadows to the boy who was trying so hard not to look surprised. Jack knew better than that. "If it ain't the Higgins boy..."

Sirens blared somewhere in the background. Race paid no mind to them. What he was about to do might cost him his life. He was having trouble caring. He pulled his hood up further over his head as he stepped deeper into the warehouse. He said nothing.

"Long time no see, little brotha'. What brings you back home?"

Rolling his eyes, the younger boy just shrugged. "Been too long, Jackie..."

The older boy scoffed, his smirk still ever present on his face. He knew something was up. Maybe that was a good thing. No matter how much him and Jack had fought in the past, they were blood. Half blood, sure, but they were still blood.

Kelly leaned back against his car, looking the other boy up and down. He hid the fact that his heart broke at how different the kid looked. Brooklyn could do that to anyone. But he hated that it had made his own family a stranger to him. "What d'ya want, Racer?"

Biting his lip, Race glanced around. If he was going to do this, he had to do it quick. He pushed the hood back off of his head, almost confused when Jack's features went from smug to concerned in only seconds. The younger boy refused to look at him after that. His big blue eyes darted down to the ground. Jack and him hadn't been close in a long time. "Ya mean what ya said?" he asked, his voice a little watery. "That I's always had a place here?"

The Manhattan leader pushed himself up, away from his car. "Did Conlon do that ta you?"

"Jack, I don't-"

"Don't defend him, kid. Did. He. Do this?"

The "this" that was being referred to was a bruised and busted up face of a seventeen year old kid. One of Race's eyes was completely swollen shut. His nose was so bruised, Jack wasn't sure it wasn't broken. His lip was split and there was a nasty burn right by his temple.

Race could only shrug. "What difference does it make?"

Shaking his head, Jack crossed his arms over his chest. "Because despite everythin' that happened between us, you's still my little brother. If he hurts you, he ain't gettin' away with it."

The younger boy's heart ached at that. He didn't know what to say. He just locked his eyes on Jack and shrugged. "Did you mean what you said?" he asked again. He was beginning to get desperate.

Jack bit his lip. He glanced around. "This a setup, kid?"

"They know that car's loaded." A flash of anger and betrayal crossed over Kelly's face and Race raised up his hands in defense. "Spot sent me ta distract you. But I mean it, Jack. I wanna come home!" The tremor in his voice was real. Brooklyn wasn't his home. Brooklyn was his escape from his problem. It wouldn't last forever. And it would only proved to be more trouble than it was worth. He shouldn't have run. He knew that. But he'd been too proud to admit it. "I know you don't trust me! You don't have to!" he stumbled out quickly. "In thirty seconds someone's gonna break in through that top window, three guys are gonna come in through that door, and the rest of Spot's crew is gonna break through the front!"

Jack scowled, clearly frustrated with this new piece of information. "How do I know ya ain't playin' a trick on me, kid? Huh?"

Holding back the sob that built in his throat, Race shrugged once again. "Ya don't," he replied brokenly. He knew how much he'd screwed up. He had family. And he'd thrown it away. He hadn't recognized the treasure he'd had until it was gone. Now he was terrified he might never get it back. "But I miss you, Jackie. I don't wanna fight no more..."

The twenty four year old looked his kid brother up and down skeptically for a moment. He reached for his pistol at his back and then he looked around as he took all of the bullets out. And, without any warning, he pointed the empty gun at the boy's head.

"Get in the car," he smirked, nodding towards the thing. Race gave him a watery grin in return. This was it. He was going home. He did as he was told without a word, rushing towards the passenger seat and getting in, watching Jack doing the same on the driver's side.

His big brother was smart. If Spot thought Kelly was taking him by force, they wouldn't ever know he'd betrayed them. He watched as Jack reached into his glove compartment. Race groaned when he pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "Really?"

"Make it look real, kid. If Conlon knows you's pulled a fast one on him, he'll shoot you in the face." So Race complied, letting his brother cuff his right wrist to a handle inside the door, so his arm was raised above his head. "Ready?" he asked, starting up the car. Race grasped onto the chain above his hand and held tightly to the door beside him. He knew what was about to happen.

A car chase. Someone was bound to get hurt. They could only pray it wouldn't be them.

"Three on motorcycles, n' they's got two cars," Race informed, squeezing his eyes shut. Jack had one hand on the wheel and the other still had the empty gun pointed at him. "This car armored?"

"Ya think I'd be drivin' it outta here if it wasn't?" Jack replied with a scoff.

Glass shattered. Race flinched. Jack ignored it. A door busted down. Three Brookies rushed in, guns drawn, giant, stupid grins on their faces. Then they ran to the front garage door. They opened it, not even realizing Jack was already onto their plan. And there, standing front and center in the midst of a sea of young adults, was Spot freaking Conlon.

Jack glanced at his brother's beaten face, then back to the crowd in front of him. And the gas petal was on the ground.

It was almost funny, the way the toughest gang in New York, maybe even the entire goddamn country, scattered like they did. Jack let out a laugh as he watched them all cry out in frustration and rush to their vehicles to follow him. "Hold on, baby brother. It's gonna be a bumpy ride!"

Race groaned. "You sound way to excited about this..." Jack just let out a howl, practically a battle cry. The younger boy couldn't help but laugh at that, no matter how nervous he was for the chase he knew was bound to happen.

If they went down, at least they'd be going down together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you have it. What do you guys think is happening? What’s Jack car loaded with? What happened between Jack and Race? What happened between Spot and Race? What in the actual heck is happening? I’d love to know what you guys think!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, yes I'm awful.
> 
> So... what do you think? What's happening? Why is it happening? Be creative! Let me know what you think is going on! Brainstorm it in a review and let me know!
> 
> If you have any questions or would like to brainstorm with me, feel free to PM me at any time! I love hearing from you guys! And if you want to see more of these scenes, well... I'm sure you'll see some. For the most part, they're unedited and drafted pretty quickly. But trust me, there will be a lot of them.
> 
> To be clear one last time, this is all I have of this "story" just this out of context scene. I want to know what you guys think is happening. Take your time! Brainstorm. Be creative.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I hope to read a review from y'all soon! Love ya, friends!


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